"CORA" stands for "Colorado Open Records Act". In the spirit of open government, the Colorado Open Records Act [1]requires that most public records be available to the public. Anyone can request information that is in the possession of a government office, including the Secretary of State’s office.

Where do I submit my records request?

You must submit your request to the custodian of the record- the government office that actually holds the record itself. There is no central repository for public records or single office that fulfills public records requests in Colorado. For most governmental agencies, you can submit your request directly to the Public Information Officer of that agency. If you don’t know how to contact that person, call the government entity and ask how to submit your request. For records in the possession of the Secretary of State’s office, contact the Public Information Officer (PIO).

Do all open records requests go through the Secretary of State’s office?

No. An open records request needs to be filed directly with the appropriate government office or the custodian of the records that you want to see. Other agencies may have different processes for open records requests, so contact the office ahead of time to review its process.

Do I have to submit a CORA request with the Secretary of State's office to get information?

No. It is the intent of our office to provide records to the public without requiring a CORA request.

Before making a CORA request, contact our office to request information from our staff. Our office is a filing office for business entity records, UCC and EFS filings, charitable solicitations, bingo-raffle, notary, lobbyist, campaign finance, and candidate filings. Many of these documents are already readily available to the public. We would be more than happy to help you access these filings without asking you to make a CORA request.

How do I ask about CORA requests or submit a request to the Colorado Secretary of State's office?